YEAR-END CONTENT: We're looking for year-end content, so if your newspaper is doing any best-of lists or something New Year's related, please send it to us through Zope or by e-mailing national@gatehousemedia.com. Find our content here

GREG ZYLA: Don’t drink and drive - According to the National Highway Safety Administration, in 2009 some 10,839 of a total 33,808 people that died in car wrecks were alcohol-related. Although this death rate is declining, it's been pretty bad for the last 15 years. By Greg Zyla, GHNS columnist.
* This is a special column on drinking and driving from Greg that will NOT be on a weekly Auto page. You can run this whenever you feel is most appropriate. You can localize by doing a sidebar on drunken driving stats in your area, by doing a feature on someone whose life was affected by drinking and driving, etc.

Lifestyles

FAMILY TIME: Tips to make tummy time fun for baby - Weekly family rail, with tips to make tummy time fun for baby, a review of “The Tourist” and more. By GHNS.

DARIN ST. GEORGE: Make a difference -- Do you exercise with your kids? Maybe dedicating a small portion of your home to health and wellness will show future generations that there actually is room for fitness in your everyday life, because there is an actual room! By Darin St. George/ MetroWest Daily News (Boston)
* Sidebar idea: Interview a family that encourages exercise or parents who work out with their kids. Share their ideas about how to get kids to exercise.

DR. MURRAY FEINGOLD: Eliminate stress, enjoy the holiday season -- Much has been written about the holiday blues, and they are a reality. There are ups and downs. A great deal of stress is present during the holidays, and most of the time it is self-induced. By Dr. Murray Feingold/ MetroWest Daily News (Boston)

DR. GWENN O'KEEFFE: Teaching kids to give thanks -- During the holidays, do your kids give as much as they receive? Regardless of financial circumstance, it's important for kids to understand that while getting is cool and fun, giving is important, too. By Dr. Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe/ MetroWest Daily News (Boston)
* Poll idea: Do you make your kids write thank you notes for the presents they receive? Does a Facebook message or e-mail suffice?

DR. JEFF HERSH: Children with heart palpitations -- Q: My 8-year-old son said it felt like his heart was pounding. I measured his heart rate (I am an EMT), and it was 110 and regular. What can this be from? By Dr. Jeff Hersh/ MetroWest Daily News (Boston)

Entertainment

SUDOKU: January puzzles (918-952) are now available to download. Previous puzzles are linked to in this file as well.

JESUS MOVIES: Get Reel: Praising Jesus on film - With Christmas less than two weeks away, what better time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ than with a primer on movies that either feature the Son of God or place him prominently in the plot? By Bob Tremblay, MetroWest Daily News.

KENT BUSH: Elephant tails and John Boehner - John Boehner (R-Ohio) (see what I did there) cried his way through a series of interviews in various locations on "60 Minutes" on Sunday night. The "real men don't cry" stigma has lifted. I think some water works are acceptable at your daughter's wedding, at the birth of a child, talking about tough times with a friend or if you are a Texas Longhorn fan and your team isn't bowl eligible this year. But I think it is still held as factual that crying all the time is a sign that a person is overly emotional and not exactly in control. By Kent Bush, Augusta Gazette.

AMY GEHRT: Payroll tax holiday benefits the economy - The new year should bring a welcome change for about 155 million working Americans: extra money in their paychecks. As part of the much-maligned package of tax cuts and extended unemployment benefits agreed to by President Barack Obama and Republican leaders, Obama negotiated in a reduction of payroll taxes for one year. By Amy Gehrt, Pekin Daily Times.
* Note: If the tax bill is passed today, you’ll want to change some tenses in this column.

Business

MAKING CENTS: Tax bill good for average citizen - There was lots of politicking and publicity about the new proposed tax bill this past week. Much of the hullabaloo was about the extension of tax cuts for the wealthy and the extension of the unemployment benefits for those still looking for work. Little was discussed about what this tax bill means for the middle class and low-income workers. The truth is this proposal is good for the average citizen. By John P. Napolitano, The Patriot Ledger.
* Note: If the tax bill is passed today, you’ll want to change some tenses in this column.

CHECKOUT LANE: How different kinds of firewood stack up - It's getting to be that time of year again, when people stock up on wood for long, cold nights beside the fire. But the price of that wood will vary significantly, depending on how it has been treated since it was cut. By Shaunna Gately, The Patriot Ledger.
* Localization tip: Talk to wood experts in your area and add or swap out their quotes and advice. You could also do a sidebar on places to buy firewood.

Sports

NFL QUICK SHOTS: Patriots built to play in snow; Bears are not - I’m not the only one who thinks Sunday’s ugly loss doesn’t have to be a death knell for the Bears. SI.com’s Peter King wrote "there are a few teams — maybe about 29 others — that would have been pathetic against the Patriots on Sunday, too." By Matt Trowbridge, Rockford Register Star.

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